Political Participation on Social Media

The Database on Political Participation in Social Media provides the first harmonized, cross-country dataset that systematically captures how Europeans engage politically through digital platforms. It brings together and standardizes data from major comparative surveys (such as the ESS, Eurobarometer, EVS, WVS, and ISSP), as well as national studies, to create an open-access resource for analyzing online political participation across Europe. The dataset distinguishes between different forms of online political activity—ranging from passive engagement, such as consuming political news or liking posts, to active forms of participation, such as posting opinions, organizing events, or encouraging others to vote. It also differentiates between participation during electoral campaigns and outside of them, enabling nuanced analysis of how context shapes online engagement.

With over a hundred indicators harmonized into comparable variables, the database allows for robust cross-national and longitudinal research, covering developments from 2004 onwards. It is accompanied by a detailed methodological framework and codebook that ensure transparency, comparability, and usability for academics, policymakers, NGOs, and citizens.

This resource supports the TRUEDEM project’s broader aim of exploring the relationship between social media participation, democratic attitudes, and political trust. It provides the tools needed to study whether social media acts as a force for democratic inclusion and responsiveness—or as a driver of polarization and distrust.

Citation: Baboš, P., Dolný, B., Szabó, T. (2025). Political Participation through Social Media: Dataset and Codebook. Working paper no 6.3. TRUEDEM: Trust in European Democracies Project (www.truedem.eu).